BEST GARDEN/NURSERY STORE (NWI)

Alsip Nursery

10255 Wicker Ave, St John, Ind., 219.365.0882, alsipnursery.com

Alsip Nursery was founded in 1969 in Frankfort, Ill. where they still have a location, as well as in St. John. The St. John location opened in 1994 on a 17-acre site. They offer a wide selection of patio furniture, fountains and statuary, ponds, grills, pets and supplies, wild bird feed/feeders, specialty toys, garden décor, and silk florals, seasonal holiday.

Rich Christakes, plant buyer for Alsip Nursery says, "We have, by far, the best quality plant material and selection in the Midwest when it comes to an independent garden center. We also give excellent customer service because we have a lot of long-term employees who have received formal and informal training programs. Plus we grow 95% of our annuals at our offsite greenhouse and so we carry our own vegetable, herbs, hanging baskets, flowers. We have 140,000 square feet of growing greenhouse."

Alsip Nursery just opened a satellite garden center in Southlake Mall Parking Lot by JC Penney the first of many to come. "We do this to serve our customers so they don't have to travel so far with all of the same quality plants," says Christakes.

SECOND PLACE

Allen's Landscape Center

2539 45th St, Highland, Ind., 219.924.6076, allenlandscape.com

THIRD PLACE

Scheeringa Farms & Greenhouses

9436 Cline Ave, Highland, Ind., 219.838.6369, scheeringafarms.com